Posted on 09/06/2005 7:41:41 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch
Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2005 10:18 p.m. EDT Louisiana Officials in Flood-Money Scam
Nine months before the Hurricane Katrina disaster, three Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness officials were indicted for obstructing an audit into flood prevention expenditures.
In a November 2004 press release, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana announced:
"A federal grand jury has returned two separate indictments charging three members of the State Military Department with offenses related to the obstruction of an audit of the use of federal funds for flood mitigation activities throughout Louisiana. "The two emergency management officials were senior employees of the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Both were charged with conspiracy to obstruct a federal audit."
Gov. Kathleen Blanco told Louisiana's News-Star at the time that she was disturbed by the indictments. She said the National Guard is cooperating with the investigation "as I expect them to do."
Reports of rampant corruption among Louisiana's state and local agencies have been cited in recent days to explain why officials were so ill-prepared to deal with the Katrina disaster.
This looks like a good reason for a lot of the problems...
I heard on a local radio show today that back when Mary Landrieu's father was a mayor (?) and Edwin Edwards was a Governor instead of an inmate...the corruption was almost a "pride factor" in LA..
Considering, there are still 2 Landrieu's in political power in LA...how can it have changed much???
That place is a cess pool of corruption.
Blanco is not only incompetent, but corrupt. It seems these two worked for her.
Blanco is not only incompetent, but corrupt. It seems these two worked for her.
Now we are on the right track...the rest of this business is to deflect their corruption....
Me too.
Why Witt? Who recommended Witt? Blanco is so inadequet someone would have had to direct her to conclude to bring in James Witt. I'm still smelling a rat.
Very interesting....I think we are about to find out a lot about the Gov that would have never surfaced if Katrina hadn't hit NO...
A little sunshine on all these figures will tell the tale.
Given the disrespect the Gov paid to President Bush, I'd love to see them all indicted.
Clintons.
I think I just jumped with both feet onto President Bush's bandwagon that started today when he said HE is going to start an investigation into what went wrong/right.
I especially want to see, MS. Landrieu, who threatened physical harm to the POTUS, sworn in, in front of a group that will DRILL her and her state about where all of the funding for the levees, and first responder equipment has gone...
And why, if they had a drill last year, that exposed all of these problems...why weren't she and her fellow LA politicians more prepared!!!
WWW.USDOJ.GOV: WASTEWATER TREATMENT COMPANY PLEADS GUILTY TO BRIBERY
Payoffs involved in S&WB process, feds say. Executive accused of taking kickbacks,
November 29, 2004
(FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE)
THREE STATE OFFICIALS INDICTED FOR
OBSTRUCTING FEDERAL AUDIT
Shreveport, Louisiana . . . A federal grand jury has returned two separate indictments charging three members of the State Military Department with offenses related to the obstruction of an audit of the use of federal funds for flood mitigation activities throughout Louisiana, United States Attorney Donald W. Washington announced today.
Two of the individuals charged, MICHAEL C. APPE, 51, of Mandeville, Louisiana, and MICHAEL L. BROWN, 61, of St. Francisville, Louisiana, are senior employees of the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Both APPE and BROWN are charged with conspiracy to obstruct a federal audit; BROWN is additionally charged with making a false statement.
The Hazardous Mitigation Grant Program is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is designed to fund mitigation projects to prevent future flood losses or flood claims made upon the National Flood Insurance Program. BROWN was responsible for overall management the program in Louisiana; APPE was responsible for managing employees who perform fiscal transactions regarding these funds.
The indictment alleges that during an audit of the program being conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Office of Inspector General, a State Military Department employee realized that $175,000 in expenditures of federal monies was improper in that the money was not used for purposes authorized by the federal program and would therefore have to be re-paid to the federal government. This employee notified APPE, who in turn directed the employee to provide false documents to the federal auditors.
Specifically, the indictment alleges that APPE directed an employee to contact an assistant to BROWN and have them prepare a false, backdated memo to make it appear that the expenditures were proper. The false document was created and was subsequently signed by BROWN. APPE and BROWN then sent the false, backdated memo to federal auditors. The indictment alleges that BROWN told federal auditors that he signed the document in May 2000, when in fact he knew he had signed the document in January 2004.
Also indicted was DANIEL J. FALANGA, 53, of Folsom, Louisiana, for committing perjury before a federal grand jury. FALANGA was an employee of the State Military Department in charge of the State Mitigation Office. The indictment charges him with testifying falsely before the grand jury concerning his access to a “repetitive loss list.” The repetitive loss list is a listing of properties that have suffered two or more flood losses in a ten year period.
An indictment is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Defendants are entitled to a presumption of innocence under the law, and the government has the burden of proving every element of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Sentencing in federal court is governed by the United States Sentencing Guidelines. Under U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, actual sentences are based upon a formula that takes into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, and a defendant’s criminal history, if any. Parole has been abolished in the federal system.
If convicted, APPE and BROWN face a maximum sentence of up to 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both, on each count. If convicted, FALANGA will face a maximum penalty of up to 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
This case was investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.
For further information, please contact United States Attorney Donald W. Washington at 337-262-6618 or First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan at 318-676-3600.
This and other press releases issued by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana can be found at our website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/law.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/law/news/wdl20041129.html
LOL LOL you beat my be <> this much.
bump for later
Rush said on his radio show today that each section of the levees falls under the jurisdiction of different parishes...and therefore, under the discretion of different parish presidents...read: politicians.
Therefore, nothing gets done, because you just can't get that many politicians to work together on a project that enormous without all kinds of fights...
It sure seems that way.
This is interesting. Who was the senior official for the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness before Witt. Why haven't we heard about that person. Does this mean that the Governor had no one in that position before Witt?
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